US 'victory' against cult leader was 'massacre'

[IndianaGreen]

31 January 2007 01:45

US 'victory' against cult leader was 'massacre'

By Patrick Cockburn in Baghdad
Published: 31 January 2007

There are growing suspicions in Iraq that the official story of the battle outside Najaf between a messianic Iraqi cult and the Iraqi security forces supported by the US, in which 263 people were killed and 210 wounded, is a fabrication. The heavy casualties may be evidence of an unpremeditated massacre.

A picture is beginning to emerge of a clash between an Iraqi Shia tribe on a pilgrimage to Najaf and an Iraqi army checkpoint that led the US to intervene with devastating effect. The involvement of Ahmed al-Hassani (also known as Abu Kamar), who believed himself to be the coming Mahdi, or Messiah, appears to have been accidental.

The story emerging on independent Iraqi websites and in Arabic newspapers is entirely different from the government's account of the battle with the so-called "Soldiers of Heaven", planning a raid on Najaf to kill Shia religious leaders.

The cult denied it was involved in the fighting, saying it was a peaceful movement. The incident reportedly began when a procession of 200 pilgrims was on its way, on foot, to celebrate Ashura in Najaf. They came from the Hawatim tribe, which lives between Najaf and Diwaniyah to the south, and arrived in the Zarga area, one mile from Najaf at about 6am on Sunday. Heading the procession was the chief of the tribe, Hajj Sa'ad Sa'ad Nayif al-Hatemi, and his wife driving in their 1982 Super Toyota sedan because they could not walk. When they reached an Iraqi army checkpoint it opened fire, killing Mr Hatemi, his wife and his driver, Jabar Ridha al-Hatemi. The tribe, fully armed because they were travelling at night, then assaulted the checkpoint to avenge their fallen chief.

Members of another tribe called Khaza'il living in Zarga tried to stop the fighting but they themselves came under fire. Meanwhile, the soldiers and police at the checkpoint called up their commanders saying they were under attack from al-Qai'da with advanced weapons. Reinforcements poured into the area and surrounded the Hawatim tribe in the nearby orchards. The tribesmen tried - in vain - to get their attackers to cease fire.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2201103.ece

[TomInTib]

1. This whole thing smells really bad.

First reports were about "religious fanatics".

Notice the lack of video regarding this advanced tunnel and trench system?

US PsyOps at its least competent.

[IndianaGreen]

3. The British press has always debunked Pentagon claims

because their reporters are out in the field unlike American reporters, the majority of which merely report the press releases they are fed by the military. The few reporters that are embedded with the troops have even less understanding of the big picture of what is going on in Iraq.

[mallard]

5. Re: This version of events makes a lot more sense...

... than the US-processed propaganda. The ugly truth now goes beyond it turning into an accidental massacre - as it also now apparently involves official lies churned out by the compliant media - once again!

Brutality of that lie cannot be excused - and won't be by the world not so accustomed to Bush Co's convenient disinformation.

[antonialee839]

35. This story didn't sound right from the get-go.

[Miss Chybil]

2. Something seemed weird about the story from the get-go, but I hope this is not true.

It will come out, one way, or the other.

[LaBanty]

4. I seriously doubt it

The cult denied it was involved in the fighting, saying it was a peaceful movement.

I call bullshit, right there. Thse people are nuts. And violent.

[aquart]

6. Proof? Knowledge? Explanation? LINK?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

7. I'm with aa.

Considering all the screwups and lies this Iraq "adventure" has generated, it isn't a stretch to wonder about this whole thing. Now, there is even more clouds in the water.

So, what aa said. Put up some substantiating links, cites or something.

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. "aa"? Who's that? (n/t)

[MGKrebs]

21. I will offer that 200 armed people approaching a checkpoint

at night in the middle of a civil war is a pretty suspicious event.

We're peaceful but we all have guns.
We're traveling at night but we have nothing to hide.
We are a religous group but we are brand new.

[rodeodance]

22. says can not be stubstaniated.----yet this story seems as plausible

as other stories coming out of Iraq.


Members of another tribe called Khaza'il living in Zarga tried to stop the fighting but they themselves came under fire. Meanwhile, the soldiers and police at the checkpoint called up their commanders saying they were under attack from al-Qai'da with advanced weapons. Reinforcements poured into the area and surrounded the Hawatim tribe in the nearby orchards. The tribesmen tried - in vain - to get their attackers to cease fire.

American helicopters then arrived and dropped leaflets saying: "To the terrorists, surrender before we bomb the area." The tribesmen went on firing and a US helicopter was hit and crashed killing two crewmen. The tribesmen say they do not know if they hit it or if it was brought down by friendly fire. The US aircraft launched an intense aerial bombardment in which 120 tribesmen and local residents were killed by 4am on Monday.

The messianic group led by Ahmad al-Hassani, which was already at odds with the Iraqi authorities in Najaf, was drawn into the fighting because it was based in Zarga and its presence provided a convenient excuse for what was in effect a massacre. The Hawatim and Khaza'il tribes are opposed to the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and the Dawa Party, who both control Najaf and make up the core of the Baghdad government.

This account cannot be substantiated and is drawn from the Healing Iraq website and the authoritative Baghdad daily Azzaman. But it would explain the disparity between the government casualties - less than 25 by one account - and the great number of their opponents killed and wounded. The Iraqi authorities have sealed the site and are not letting reporters talk to the wounded.....

[Webster Green]

9. More likely that the bullshit is coming from the chimp administration

as usual

[badgervan]

10. Generalize Much?

I call bullshit on you. Were you there? Never generalize, as its dishonest and lazy. If you have some solid proof to support your comment, let's see it.

[magellan]

11. Considering they were part of a "previously unknown" group

...as stated in the official reports, it'd be interesting to know how you come by your information.

[JoFerret]

17. Agreed. The Pentagon and BushCo ARE violent nuts.

- when it comes to telling the truth about this ill begotten war.

[ShortnFiery]

20. "these people are nuts. And violent." who? the cult? the Iraqi troops? US air strike personnel?

OR is it only the Corporate Mercenaries who often use 50 cal. weapons to tear personnel into kibbles and bits?

Who are the nuts here?

IMO we ALL are nuts to kill other members of humanity who have personally done us no wrong. We kill these people ONLY BECAUSE our leaders say <ta da> "These people are nuts. and violent." :crazy:

[0007]

27. You are referring to this administration aren't you?

[BadGimp]

8. I hate thinking like this but..

My gut told me something was not right about the reports.

I suspect we may never know the truth. But this article suggest it may have been an unintentional massacre.

[rodeodance]

24. a cable station said yesterday women and children are in custody also.

[magellan]

12. Sounds far more logical an explanation

...than the one about an armed cult of 200 or so hiding in palms waiting to take over a mosque in a city of approx. 500,000 people.

[femmedem]

14. Right. With women and children in tow. n/t

[magellan]

18. I forgot the most important part. Thank you.

[watrwefitinfor]

13. The soldiers said they were "under attack by al-Qai'da with advanced weapons."

Who says they are not learning fast enough?

Seems "Terra Terra!" works in many situations.

Wat

[JNelson6563]

15. The little I've seen of corporate media

reporting on this, all seems justified because they were a "doomsday cult". I think to myself, will they be treating the doomsday cultists here in the US the same way?

Not likely since that's who supports the GOP.

Julie

[Rene]

16. I would say that some other Iraqi warlord probably wanted their land/property and used the U.S.

military once again to massacre ancient enemies. We don't know who the hell we're fighting over there. I still want to know where chalabi's 700 man army went after the statue was torn down. I think he's the 3rd party instigator against both sides.

[rodeodance]

23. authorities have sealed the site and are not letting reporters talk to the wounded.....

....This account cannot be substantiated and is drawn from the Healing Iraq website and the authoritative Baghdad daily Azzaman. But it would explain the disparity between the government casualties - less than 25 by one account - and the great number of their opponents killed and wounded. The Iraqi authorities have sealed the site and are not letting reporters talk to the wounded.....

[femmedem]

28. This morning my paper ran a story by a reporter who was on site:

snip

An unauthorized hourlong walk Tuesday through the bombed remnants of a religious cult called Heaven's Army revealed provocative clues about group, which was decimated Sunday in a 24-hour U.S. and Iraqi offensive that authorities say left 263 alleged members dead and 210 injured. Nearly 400 members also were arrested, an Iraqi defense official said.

snip

And they were well-armed and ready for battle. High-powered machine guns, anti-aircraft rockets, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and late-model pickup trucks with mounted guns were scattered around the eight farms that constituted the compound, about 10 miles north of Najaf.


http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=f7c09354-a165-48d0-8554-4fbd028ce2fb

It is very hard to know the truth. Of course, possession of weapons does not mean anyone used them. And, too, I'm suspicious of weapons found scattered about, after the site had been sealed. After all the lies we've been told, I have to wonder who did the scattering.

[Vinca]

25. Hasn't there been an implication that the "Soldiers of Heaven"

are Iranian backed? Is this another fabricated justification to attack Iran? You don't know what to believe anymore.

[Tracer]

26. Patrick Cockburn is one of the few reporters ...

... in Iraq who actually TALKS to Iraqis. And not just government mouthpieces.

He seems to me to be a quite fair reporter who attempts to gets his facts straight.

I just finished reading his "The Occupation". A very insightful book.

[spinbaby]

29. Bumping for the afternoon crowd

[oblivious]

30. Even Statfor calls the oifficial story BS. They provide another scenario:

http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?id=283666&selected=Analyses

Not only is this perhaps the most bizarre incident in almost four years of incessant violence that has ravaged the country, the government's version of what allegedly transpired raises more questions than provides answers.

* How could a cult evolve into such a major threat without getting noticed?

* If this was an obscure cult, why were government forces unable to deal with it on their own?

* From where did the group acquire such a large cache of weaponry?

* Given the deep sectarian differences, how can extremist Shia and jihadists both be part of the group?

* Why would a Shiite religious group risk alienation by engaging in the murder of the clerical hierarchy, especially during the holy month of Muharram?


These and other such questions indicate the government is withholding a lot of information. However, Stratfor has received some information that provides insight into the circumstances leading up to the battle.

We are told the al-Hawatim tribe wanted to organize its own Karbala procession during Ashurah but that a rival group with considerable influence prevented it from doing so. A number of tribesmen were killed at a checkpoint operated by this influential group, including a senior tribal sheikh. The tribe then launched a retaliatory attack that led to the battle. The fact that a large number of those arrested are women and children lends some credence to the report that the fighting was related to Ashurah ceremonies.

[IndianaGreen]

31. and the Iraqi police yelled "Al-Qaeda!" knowing that they would get US help

This is pretty much what happened in Afghanistan where tribal disputes were resolved by telling the Americans that an adversary tribe was Al-Qaeda. The Americans, being unable to tell the difference between people of colour, believed everything they were told.

[twenty4blackbirds]

32. very very sad

[JCMach1]

33. Hear the crickets...? that's the MSM all over this story

:grr:

[Marie26]

34. This makes sense

The official story always seemed weird - Sunnis & Shiite insurgents fighting together? So, instead of fighing a battle to protect Shiite religious pilgrims, we actually killed the religious pilgrims. How can the US soldiers fight a war if they can't even trust what they're being told? These new "surge" troops will be embedded w/Iraqi troops. If they're told that a village is a Sunni insurgent stronghold, how would they know if that was true? It could just as easily be a village of innocent Sunnis who have annoyed a Shiite army unit. I could see each side of the civil war sicing the US military on their rivals & enemies. And we don't have the experience or cultural understanding to seperate out the correct intelligence. How many more massacres will US troops participate in?

[oblivious]

36. Whoa! Here's an interesting article in Asia Times by Dahr Jamail

Pilgrims massacred in the 'battle' of Najaf
By Dahr Jamail and Ali al-Fadhily

..."We were going to conduct the usual ceremonies that we conduct every year when we were attacked by Iraqi soldiers," Jabbar al-Hatami, a leader of the al-Hatami Shi'ite Arab tribe told IPS.

"We thought it was one of the usual mistakes of the Iraqi army killing civilians, so we advanced to explain to the soldiers that they killed five of us for no reason. But we were surprised by more gunfire from the soldiers."

...Tribal members from both believe the attack was launched by the central government of Baghdad to stifle growing Shi'ite-Sunni unity in the area.

...Ahmed, a member of the Khazaali tribe, said, "Our two tribes have a strong belief that Iranians are provoking sectarian war in Iraq, which is against the belief of all Muslims, and so we announced an alliance with Sunni brothers against any sectarian violence in the country. That did not make our Iranian-dominated government happy."

The fighting took place on the Diwaniya-Najaf road and spread into nearby date-palm plantations after pilgrims sought refuge there.

"American helicopters participated in the slaughter," Jassim Abbas, a farmer from the area, told IPS. "They were soon there to kill those pilgrims without hesitation, but they were never there for helping Iraqis in anything they need. We just watched them getting killed group by group while trapped in those plantations."

Much of the killing was done by US and British warplanes, witnesses said.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IB02Ak04.html

[raebrek]

37. I have a question....again, and again.

Snip--------------
"We thought it was one of the usual mistakes of the Iraqi army killing civilians, so we advanced to explain to the soldiers that they killed five of us for no reason
Snip--------------

Why advance on people that are killing you for advancing? Why the generalization of the Iraqi army killing civilians "as usual". I don't like generalizations.

Raebrek

[oblivious]

39. Yup. I have so many questions about this my head is spinning.

I don't believe anyone, frankly.

[brentspeak]

38. The author of this says this is all just speculation on his part:

"This account cannot be substantiated and is drawn from the Healing Iraq website and the authoritative Baghdad daily Azzaman."

[Ronnie Roach]

40. This is Bushes WACO!

Ah, remember the 90's when the screw-ball right winger was all pissed
off at Clinton because his attorney general Janet Reno who took action
against this cult who called themselves the Branch Davidians lead by
David Koresh. The leader was having sex with every wife of husbands in
the cult. The federal agents burned the Davidian compound in Waco
Texas down to the ground. To the crack pots of the right, the godless
army of Clinton was assaulting these innocent Christians who just
wanted to worship in peace. Sure.
Now in Iraq, this Islamic cult calling itself: Heaven Army lead by
Dhyan Abdul-Zahra was bombed and shot at in Kajaf by the U.S Military.
The Islamo religious right are saying the same thing that the
Christan said back in the 90's that Bushes Godless army are
persecuting this innocent Muslim sect. HA! We thinking people know
that is bull shit!
What more evidence you need to realize that Religion sucks?


Check out this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXQF-6lVDkg and my group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Enronscam/